Yesterday most Christians of the Hebrew Roots or Messianic persuasion celebrated the 8th Day Assembly that always occurs after the 7 days of Succos or as it is more commonly known, the Feast of Tabernacles. In my experiences the end of the Feast of Tabernacles is often accompanied by long faces and sorrow as the reality of leaving friends and family with whom you have fellowshipped with for the past 8 days is coming to a close. The sting of returning to “the world” is a harsh reality that for some is overwhelming and down tight depressing, and in some cases rightly so. I believe the anxiety about the end of the Feast is exacerbated by the way a lot of those in my former faith traditions have been taught about the Christian mission, the Gospel, their role in accurately preaching the Gospel and participation in delivering the Gospel message. A participation in that preaching by way of LIVING AND DEMONSTRATING the way of Christ in their everyday lives.

The meaning of the Feast itself and the 8th Day Assembly should fill Believers with hope and energize them to be the advocates and purveyors of DIVINE love and justice in/to the world.

A true believer in Christ, fully believing on and into Christ, will achieve the things of Christ, as he or she is EMPOWERED by Christ. Empowered to bring healing in the capacity he or she is able. It may not mean curing the disease of the afflicted but it does mean to bring comfort too and easing the suffering of the one affected. The words of comfort, the heartfelt, sincere efforts to uplift and encourage an individual suffering from adversity is one form of relief that brings about a type of healing when full physical healing is not granted.

Taking the time to feed the needy and less fortunate is another aspect of The Christ Heart and Mind that are not only to be emulated, but made a permanent aspect of our character and morals.

Caring for the Fatherless and widowed, those left alone by loss or abandonment is yet another aspect of who we are to be and what we are to do with vigor and sincerity, every day, all the time.

The spiritual refreshing and rejuvenation that we are supposed to experience during the Feast of Tabernacles is supposed to return the believer to the world as Beacons of hope, compassion, love and justice that illuminate the world and burn as brightly as the sun at the center of our galaxy. For far to long a lot of peoples in the Hebrew Roots movement have approached the Laws of God and their spin on the Gospel with such a dogmatic, legalistic arm that it has left the movement in tatters, often excluding and pushing out the most vulnerable and at risk sheep in the fold. The needy, the sick, the poor and the youth, the very ones that Christ ministered too. All of this, while forgetting the most central command given by the Messiah to his disciples and future converts to the way. John 13:34-35

[34] “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. [35] By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

John 15:12-15

[12] This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. [13] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. [14] Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. [15] Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

His Commands, his words….not mine. And its his words that are supposed to be the teachings and principles that guide our steps. Whole heartedly, without compromise or qualification.

Yes we love and keep his commandments, we love his laws and his ways, but we need to realize it needs to be ALL his laws and his ways, not just physical laws. The weightier matters, the meat and potatoes of Christ teachings center around being agents of healing and change to the world as we stand out as operatives and ambassadors for his kingdom. Paraphrasing, HE SAID “By the love you have for one another will they know you are my disciples.” This love is shown and revealed by our actions, continual, sustained, sincere, heartfelt everyday, consistent actions. My brother who is in firmed or bed ridden is encouraged and empowered by weekly visits, not quarterly. The homeless or needy are empowered by meals served to them daily, not twice a month. The youth who are struggling with various social issues are empowered by love, care and compassion, not by dogmatic tongue lashings and having the book “thrown at them”. In other words, you don’t advance the kingdom if you don’t look like the kingdom. Real talk, you cant claim Christ if your not striving to look like him and actively seeking to become a reflection of his morals, nature and thinking.

In many cases, our striving is so legalistic and lacking spirituality that we have become carbon copies of the very men who helped to kill Yeshua, and not the followers and disciples he called us to be.

So what will the first day back in the world look like for you? Will you be that person sorrowing and long faced over being back in the world? Or will you be that beacon of light and power, renewed and supercharged after your encounters with the Divine and his wisdom during Succos that steps back into the world reflecting the very nature and power of Christ, emboldened and filled, ready to take on the challenges, facing the wrongs and standing for the morals and principles of God in the midst of troubled and confusing world. Brothers and sisters I encourage you to be strong, be empowered and be ye transformed into the child of God, full of power and Grace the Messiah and creator of the Universe meant for you to be. Shalom.